A forklift is an indispensable tool in warehouses, construction sites, storage facilities, dockyards, recycling facilities, and countless other applications where heavy loads must be lifted or moved from one place to another.
These tools allow you to safely transport extremely heavy loads from point A to B without any human contact. Forklifts come in many different styles, making it tough to choose one that meets your needs.
This blog covers all the basics of electric forklift trucks in detail. It also delves into some of the main forklift types to help you find one that is perfect for your application, so keep on reading until the end.
What is a Forklift?
Parts of a Forklift
Working Principles of a Forklift
- Hydraulic Cylinders
- Pulleys
- Controls
Types of Forklifts
- Reach Fork Truck Forklift
- Side Loader Forklift
- Counterbalance Forklift
- Stacker Truck Forklift
- Rough Terrain Forklift
- Pallet Truck Forklift
- Heavy-Duty Forklift
Uses of a Forklift
What is a Forklift?
Forklifts are small but powerful battery or combustion engine-powered vehicles that feature a movable forked platform at the front which allows you to insert it under a cargo.
You can find forklifts in a number of shapes and sizes to match your specific industry needs. These lifts are designed to help you carry loads that cannot be handled manually.
Parts of a Forklift
Any type of forklift has the following key components:
- Truck Frame
This vital component forms the base of the forklift. Other components like wheels, mast, and counterweight are all connected to the truck frame.
- Counterweight
This is a heavy cast iron weight fixed to the back part of the forklift. The main job of this weight is to counterbalance the load that it needs to lift.
- Power Source
The power source of a forklift is typically an LPG, Diesel, or CNG-fueled internal combustion engine. In electric forklifts, this power source is replaced by fuel cells or Lead Acid batteries.
- Carriage
This serves as the base of the forklift which is fixed on mast rails. It allows for the easy upward or downward movement of the forklift.
- Mast
This is a vertical part responsible for moving the weight up or down. The mast features interlocking rails which give you much better horizontal control.
Working Principles of a Forklift
Following is a brief overview of the working principles of a forklift:
- Hydraulic Cylinders
These cylinders make the lifting mechanism of the forklift where the lifting handle is fixed to an electrical air pump located at the base of the forklift. Once you push the handle, the air pump draws air from the outside forcing it into a tube reaching the hydraulic cylinders.
The hydraulic cylinder consists of a hollow tube and a flexible lubricated piston on its ends. Air is trapped through the cylinder base which ensures a consistent inflow of gases without leakage.
As the volume of gases increases, it raises the pressure inside the cylinder. The pressure acting on the piston head creates an upward force. As the piston moves up, it leads to increased gas volume, and that results in minimized pressure.
This generates an equilibrium force at the forklift height as well as an equivalent force due to the gas and the load.
To take the load higher, you have to push the handle forward which signals the forklift to pump the excess air to the hydraulic cylinders. To lower the load, you simply pull the handle back which leads to a gas discharge from the cylinders.
- Pulleys
The hydraulic pistons and masts are linked with each other. The lifting forks are attached to the main body of the truck via roller chain pulleys. The fulcrum of these pulleys forms a gear at the top of the mast.
Upon pushing the mast in the upward direction using hydraulic pistons, the gear of the mast is pushed against the roller chains. The reason is that the chain is fixed to the immovable frame from one side. So, the only way masts can move upward is if the gears are able to rotate clockwise and pull the forks overhead.
This mechanism is extremely important as it enables the forks to go far away from the reach of the cylinders. Without this mechanism, you will need to use a much taller and bigger cylinder to lift up the load.
- Controls
There are two main types of controls in a forklift
The Steering Control
The steering control works much the same way as a typical golf cart. You have an accelerator, steering wheel, brake, and forward/reverse gears to handle the lift.
These lifts use rear-wheel steering meaning the wheels at the back end turn back or forth when you turn ON the forklift. This mechanism gives these machines greater freedom of rotation as well as moving precision.
The Lifting Control
This consists of two levers where one allows you to lift the fork up or down while the other tilts the load backward or forward.
To lift the load up or down you simply push the lever forward or backward respectively. The lifting mechanism has already been discussed in the previous section.
The tilting mechanism works as follows;
When you move the tilt handle forward, the chamber is filled with air automatically. This leads to a rise in pressure which applies the force on the head of the piston. This results in the masts going away from the body of the lift.
When you move the handle backward, the air moves away from the cylinder. It instead gets pumped to the other part of the mast-attached cylinders. The forward movement of the pistons thus forces the masts to draw back to the forklift’s body.
Types of Forklifts
- Reach Truck Forklift
A common forklift type is the electric forklift reach truck. This lift can extend its forks to a wide range which allows it to reach even the highly inaccessible racks of your warehouse. This lift has an open compartment which gives the operators a clearer view of the racks.
- Side Loader Forklift
These lifts are ideal for tight spaces as they are designed to load or unload from their side. The operator resides in a sideways compartment while the side loader does its job on the opposite side.
These lifts are effective in cases where you have to move along racks and load unload without having to turn the entire lift on its side.
- Counterbalance Forklift
These lifts work by evenly distributing the weight of the vehicle. These feature forks at the front with a heavy counterbalance at the back and they give you 360-degree rotation.
These lifts do not have extending arms and you have to move these directly to the load which gives you more control and safety.
- Stacker Truck Forklift
The electric forklift stacker truck has a very specific shape and functionality. These forklifts do not have a cab where the operator can sit. The operator just stands behind the stacker and steers it with a handle.
Though these lifts are less powerful they are ideal for cases where you require a taller pallet jack that can reach much higher off the ground.
- Rough Terrain Forklift
These forklifts are ideal for outdoor operations and even terrains as they feature wide tires along with reinforced cabs. The sturdy pneumatic tires give these lifts more stability. These are ideal for construction sites where the operator has to move the material from point A to B on uneven surfaces.
- Pallet Truck Forklift
Pallet trucks or pallet jack forklifts use battery as a power source and their small sizes give you much easier maneuverability. These are the best options when you have to move small pallets or loads up or down. These lifts can easily lift and move small loads in the tiniest of spaces without any trouble.
- Heavy-Duty Forklift
The heavy-duty electric forklift truck is the best option when you have to handle extremely heavy loads in the range of 30,000 lb to 100,000 lb. Though these lifts have lesser portability or maneuverability they are the best option in manufacturing plants, large construction sites, as well as warehouses where you have to move substantial loads often.
Uses of a Forklift
Following are some of the main applications of a forklift:
- These are used in construction sites for carrying heavy material over long distances and across rough terrains.
- Warehouses use these to carry and move extremely heavy cargo.
- These are used in recycling operations to load/unload recycling containers and to take them to the sorting bays.
- These are used in dockyards to move bulky containers from trucks to the dockside storage spaces.
- You can also use these as snow plows to clear roads and driveways.
Conclusion
Forklifts are a key tool in a wide range of industries from warehouses to large storage facilities and from sea ports to construction sites. Apart from making your operations quicker, these machines also ensure complete safety in your workplace.
By eliminating the need to lift or move heavy objects by hand, they guarantee your employees stay safe. These dynamic and useful tools minimize the safety concerns while increasing the productivity on your work site which saves you both time and money.
Visit Accurate Meezan today to buy our premium quality forklifts for all industrial applications at very affordable prices.
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